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September 2007 Gardening Q&A
You say ‘tomato’ … I say ‘potato’
 by B. Rosie Lerner
Purdue Extension Consumer Horticulturist
Tomato-like fruit growing on potato plant is toxic to eat!
Q: My potatoes are producing little green tomatoes. Does this mean they cross-pollinated with my tomatoes? Will these fruit turn red when they ripen and will they taste like tomatoes? – J.D., Jefferson County, Ind.
A: Actually, those are the normal fruit of the potato plant; a relatively unusual occurrence in Indiana. It’s not surprising that they look like tomatoes, since both plants are in the nightshade family. However, potato fruits are typically high in solanine, a substance that is toxic to humans, particularly children. Potato fruits should not be eaten, no matter how much they look like little green tomatoes!
Cool temperatures during long days tend to promote fruiting in potatoes, which explains why many Indiana gardeners noticed them earlier this year. Also, some cultivars seem more prone to fruit formation than others. So your potatoes may be fruiting while your neighbor’s may not.
Q: I have a question about persimmon trees. I bought three pairs over the past several years from a well-known mail-order company. They were supposed to be one male and one female. All of the trees have little bell-shaped blooms, but don’t develop fruit. Have I received all females? How can you tell the difference? The oldest trees are over 10 years old. How old do they have to be to bear fruit? – Nancy Alumbaugh, Carlisle, Ind.
A: While it can take seedling persimmon trees 10 or more years to mature enough to flower, your trees appear to be ready. If the trees are blooming, then they are old enough to bear fruit. Assuming that all of your trees are American persimmon rather than Oriental, then the issue is whether you have a mix of both male and female trees. (It would be useful to know what cultivars you have planted.)
American persimmons usually bear separate male and female flowers on separate trees. Only the females will bear fruit, but you do need to have at least one male to provide pollen for fruit set on the female trees. Occasionally, persimmon trees will bear both male and female flowers on the same tree, but it is not the norm.
So if all of your trees are blooming, then the question is whether you have both male and female trees. When they bloom next year, look closely at the flowers and you should be able to tell them apart. Both are greenish-yellow, bell-shaped flowers borne on very short stalks. The male flowers are about one-fourth to one-third inch long and are borne in small clusters, usually in threes. The female flowers are slightly larger, borne singly, and are about one-half to three-fourths inch long.
This year, it is possible that the flowers were injured during the April cold snap, rendering them unable to set fruit. Let’s hope for better luck next year!
Q: I planted three hydrangea bushes in 2005. Two pink and one blue. Last year, the blue one bloomed but the two pink ones only had beautiful green foliage. Why? I put them in the front of my bedroom window. I would like to plant a couple of them at the farm, but I want them to bloom. — Helen Naragon, Indianapolis, Ind.
A: Ah, hydrangeas! You have to love them even though this problem comes up year after year! It bears repeating since the issue comes up for so many Indiana gardeners.
There are many different species of hydrangea, not to mention cultivars of those species. Bigleaf Hydrangea, H. macrophylla, is certainly the most popular hydrangea across the United States. This is the plant with huge flower clusters whose color can be pink or blue, depending on the soil pH (blue flowers in acidic soil, pink flowers in alkaline soil).
Southern Indiana gardeners have some luck with this plant, but unfortunately for most Indiana gardeners, this particular species does not flower reliably. It normally blooms on previous year’s growth, and, because it breaks dormancy very early, its flower buds are most often killed in normal spring frost. The vegetative buds often survive, or new shoots sprout from the roots if killed back to the ground, forming a tidy little foliage plant, but alas, no blooms.
There are some newer cultivars such as “Endless Summer” and “Blushing Bride” that bloom repeatedly on current season’s growth and so while they may not have the huge blooms that southern gardeners achieve, they still provide wonderful color.
Written By: eceditor
Date Posted: 9/4/2007
Number of Views: 414
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